The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-02-10
EXPRESS TRAIN WRECKED.
THIRTY OR FORTY PASSENGERS PER-
IsH IN THE DISASTER.


Through Bridge and Falls Sixty Feet
The Wreck Catches Fire and the Bodiel
of The Victims COnsumed-ParticuIars
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT, Feb. 5.--A
disastrous railroad accident occurred about
O'Clock this morning, at Woodstock, VT
about two miles north of this place The ex
press which left Springfield, Mass, al
o'clock at night, bound for Montreal, wher
near Woodstock ran off the bridge at that
place and two sleepers and two passenger
coaches, full Of passengers, fell through the
bridge distance of sixty feet The cars and
bridge at once caught fire, the latter being
entirely consumed
The exact number of killed and wounded
has not been learned Some place the mum
Der at sixteen killed, while others say thirty
or forty lost their lives and that large num-
Der were injured, Among the killed is Frank
| Wesson, son OF d. B. Wesson of Springfield
| Mass, of the firm Of Smith g. Wesson, the
frearm manufacturers
Conductor Sturtevant, of the ill-fated
train, was so badly burned that 1t is thought
! he will die
The train was running at high rate of
! speed when it ran oil the bridge. The shrielSs
and groans of the injured and dying were
! heartreEdng in the extreme. The widest
| excitement prevails. 1t is impossible at this
writing to give the number Of dead. Already
ten bodies have been taken from the wreck.
About thirty persons were injured Phys
icians have been sent to the scene and every
! thing is being done FOR the care of the in
,p
a well known lecturer, is among the killed
The express as it left y White River Junction
| consisted Of one sleeping coach from Spring
field city, one Chicago sleeper, connected at
White River Junction, one Boston sleeper,
| ono mail car from Boston and one passenger
| coach and baggage car. The passengers were
bound for the Montreal carnival. One re-
! port says that over forty persons were killed.
Later reports say that tWenty-six bodies
have been taken from the wreck The aCci-
dent occurred nearly four miles above this
place, at the Woodstock bridge, near the old
Woodstock station, the bridge spanning
White river. 1t was a Howe deck bridge,
and some fifty or sixty feet above the ice.
The train left Boston at p. m, going via
Concord, N H., which place it left at $50 D.
m. The train left here considerably late,
and consisted of the baggage car, one mail
and smoker combined, two ordinary passen-
ger cars and two sleepers OF the latter, one
left Boston with twenty-four passengers, and
the other came from Springfield, Mass, with
fourteen passengers, and was connected at
this place. The accident occurred at about
$40 a. m A rail broke, which let the train
onto the ties, and it was not on the iron
when it reached the bridge.
George Parker, a brakeman, brought the
news of the accident to this place He was
on the platform Of the second car and felt a
severe shock. Jumping for safety he rolled
over and over down the bank and when he
brought up he was within a few feet of the
river. Running to a house near by he pro-
cured team and drove here and gave the
alarm.
The officials here made a train and with
medical aid went to the scene of the disaster.
When the train reached the wreck the pro-
gress Of the flames had been so rapid that the
bridge and four cars were practically
destroyed The iron work of the cars was
scattered ove. the ice. The only house near
by was that of Thomas Pingree, who rem
dered valuable assistance in caring for the
freezing injured.
Mr. Mccarthy, who went on the relief
train and 10, ed over the track says that
the broken rail was near the bridge, and that
the engine and two cars stayed on the track.
The baggage and mail cars being preserved
intact, served as an hospital for the wounded.
One man died soon after being carried into
the mail car. 'Ir. Mccarthy saw a man
with child on the bank of the river both
dead.
A woman was lying on the snow and kind
persons had covered her with spare clothing
Soon after there was sufficient help to re-
move her to the Pingree house. She is badly
hurt but is still alive. There were a few
others scattered at farm houses farther away
than the Pingree, but the nearest settlement
Is White Diver village, three miles to the
south The baggage car being entirely filed
with baggage, it is the strongest proof that
the train throughout was well-flled one
Ira Chase, of Bristol, who went to the
wreck on the special from White River juno
tion, says that the Boston sleeper Pilgrim
and the Springfield sleeper "St. Albans"
turned bottom up in the fall. Twenty-six
persons, as far as known, were taken out
alive. Two of these, understood to he Mr..
Wesson, of Springfield, and Ed Brooklebanlts,
died soon after
Mr., Chase makes the total number of pas
sengers In the wrecked cars as about eighty,
and the number Of dead between fifty and
sixty. In most cases death probably resulted
from burning than from drowning. Several
were penned into the wreck who might have
been rescued but for the flames